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Online reputations: Actions speak louder than words

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When I was in college, I used to wait tables at a restaurant to make a little extra money. It wasn’t a fancy restaurant, but the manager was really focused on customer service. He would always say that a satisfied customer tells one person about his experience and a dissatisfied customer will tell 10 people. In today’s social media age, you can probably multiply that 10 by 1,000 if people take their issues to their Facebook, Twitter or just post a negative review on sites like Yelp or Kudzu. The result is that businesses can just get trashed online in a very public way.

Do these review sites really matter? Well, I have heard business people say, “No one reads those reviews, it’s just a bunch of nuts with nothing better to do.” That could be very true. But, I’ll say this—you ignore customer reviews at your own peril.

According to a study done by Google, 79% of shoppers read consumer reviews prior to purchase. So, like it or not, you have to actively monitor your online reputation and take any customer comments—even the crazy ones—very seriously.

But what do you do about it? We’ll here’s my advice. And remember, it’s worth what I charge for it.

First, do not ignore negative reviews. The reviews don’t just live on one site. They become part of your virtual permanent record. When a person uses a search engine to find your business, that review may show up in your company’s search results and you don’t want a bunch of 1-star ratings next to your company name on Google.

The bigger question is how to respond. If you spend any time on review sites, you’ll see a variety of strategies. Some companies try to set the record straight. Others get in online sparring matches. Here’s an example exchange from an actual review site:

Consumer comment: “The owner tells so many lies that by the end of the transaction he has forgotten what exactly he told you.”

Business response: “Your statements are false and totally not true.”

Consumer response: “My review is the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me God.”

Business response: “I know this review is a scam and this person is trying to ruin our good reputation that we have built for over 30 years.”

Now, I think it’s just human nature to want to respond to what you perceive as an unfair comment. We’re wired to always try to get in the last word. But these online reputation battles don’t necessarily serve the business very well. In fact, this can actually do more harm than good, making both parties look silly and petty.

What should you do if someone trashes you online? Well, here’s what I think is a very good response to a critical consumer review:

Business response: “Thank you for taking time to comment. I am the CEO and I’m very concerned about what you’re saying. Please contact me at 555-555-5555 or joe.ceo@company.com so we can we try to resolve the situation.”

What did this business do right? A few things:

The company first thanked the customer for posting the comment, even though it was negative. As my restaurant manager used to say, “Kill ’em with kindness.”

The note came right from the CEO. This shows that the senior leadership of the company is concerned about these kinds of comments and wants to try to make them right.

The CEO gave his number and email address for the person to contact. Again, that shows this company’s commitment to customer service. Even if the complainer doesn’t contact the CEO, people reading the review can see that this company is very responsive to customer issues.

So, which business would you rather work with? The one that always has to be right and have the last word? Or the one that is concerned and wants to take action to resolve the issue? I think the answer is clear.

Next time your business gets a negative review, take a deep breath and just remember that age-old saying, “The customer is always right,” whether they’re online or standing right in front of you.